Free Push Notification Services Compared 2026

"Free push notifications" is a phrase that hides a lot of footnotes — branded prompts, subscriber caps, feature paywalls, sudden migrations to paid. Here are eight services with free tiers, what each one actually gives you, and what you give up to stay free.

We have spent time inside the dashboards of most of these. Where we have not verified personally, we say so.

The summary

• ReachBell Free — 1,000 subscribers, no branding, every channel and feature.
• OneSignal Free — 10k MAUs, OneSignal branding, web push only.
• PushEngage Free — modest subscriber cap, PushEngage branding on prompts, push only.
• Pushwoosh Free — limited, geared toward mobile.
• Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) — technically free for unlimited sends, but no marketing dashboard.
• Truepush Free — 30k subscribers, ad-supported model.
• SendPulse Free — 10k subscribers, push + email combined, branding.
• iZooto Free — small free tier, news-publisher focus.

1. ReachBell — best multi-channel free tier

ReachBell free covers 1,000 subscribers across web push, mobile push, email, and WhatsApp. No branding on prompts. Automation builder included. The pitch: try the full multi-channel platform with no feature paywall, scale into paid plans when you hit the subscriber count.

• Best for — startups testing multi-channel from day one; sites under 1,000 subscribers.
• Upgrade trigger — subscriber count past 1,000, or you need higher email send volume.
• Hidden cost — none on free tier.

2. OneSignal — biggest free subscriber count

OneSignal's free tier is the largest by raw subscriber count: 10k MAUs. The trade-off is that prompts display OneSignal branding, email and SMS are sold separately, and Journeys (their automation builder) lives behind a paid plan.

• Best for — sites that want a high free ceiling and only need basic push.
• Upgrade trigger — branding removal, automations, or any non-push channel.
• Hidden cost — MAU pricing means viral weeks generate real bills; budget for spikes.

3. PushEngage — popular among WordPress publishers

PushEngage's free tier is functional but capped (their public free tier has a modest subscriber limit). PushEngage branding shows on prompts. Push only — no email/SMS. The free tier exists to capture WordPress publishers; most graduate to paid quickly.

• Best for — WordPress publishers testing the waters; not for production scale.
• Upgrade trigger — almost immediately for any serious project (subscriber cap, automation gates).
• Hidden cost — entry-paid tier is meaningful step up.

4. Pushwoosh — mobile-first heritage

Pushwoosh started in mobile push and shows it. The free tier is restrictive (subscriber cap, limited campaign features). Strong if your primary need is mobile push for an app you also have on web; less compelling for pure web push.

• Best for — apps with both mobile and web push needs, evaluating before mobile paid plans.
• Upgrade trigger — almost any production use.

5. Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) — free, but DIY

FCM is technically free for unlimited push sends. It is the underlying transport for Chrome push and powers many of the paid platforms in this list. The catch: it is infrastructure, not a product. You write your own subscriber DB, segmentation, campaign UI, analytics, and prompt UX. Several engineer-months of build before you have what a vendor offers out of the box.

• Best for — teams with surplus engineering capacity and very specific needs not served by vendors.
• Upgrade trigger — every product feature is on you. You will outgrow the DIY decision before you outgrow Firebase.
• Hidden cost — engineering time, ongoing maintenance, compliance work you would otherwise outsource.

6. Truepush — large free tier, ad-supported

Truepush offers a generous subscriber count on free. The model is ad-supported — they inject sponsored notifications into your channel periodically. That can cost you more in subscriber trust than the saved subscription fee.

• Best for — sites where notification quality is not strategic.
• Upgrade trigger — moment you care about brand perception.
• Hidden cost — ad notifications affecting your subscriber base; very hard to walk back from.

7. SendPulse — push bundled with email

SendPulse bundles push with email and chatbots on a single free plan. Useful if you are starting from scratch and want one provider. Branding on the free tier, basic feature set, automation limits.

• Best for — multi-channel teams on tight budgets.
• Upgrade trigger — email send-volume scaling, brand-removal needs.

8. iZooto — news publisher specialty

iZooto leans toward content publishers, with RSS-to-push automation and recirculation features. Free tier is small; paid tiers focus on publisher needs.

• Best for — news/content sites specifically; less general purpose.
• Upgrade trigger — almost immediate; the free tier is a trial.

What to actually evaluate

Ignore the free-tier subscriber count for a second. Ask these questions instead:

1. Is branding on prompts a deal-breaker? — A "Powered by X" tag on your soft prompt undermines trust on a premium-positioned site.
2. Do you need automations? — Cart recovery and back-in-stock automation move revenue. If they are paywalled, the "free" tier costs you the highest-ROI feature.
3. Will you need email or WhatsApp within 12 months? — If yes, picking a push-only vendor now means another migration later.
4. How does the free tier graduate? — Steep paid steps after the free ceiling cost more than gradual ones. Check the next two tiers, not just the free one.
5. Can you export your subscribers cleanly? — VAPID key portability matters. Lock-in is real even with "free" platforms.

Our honest recommendation

For sites under 1,000 subscribers planning to add email or WhatsApp eventually, ReachBell free beats the alternatives on feature coverage and avoids a vendor swap later. For sites that genuinely only need push and will exceed 1,000 subscribers but stay under 10k MAUs, OneSignal free has the highest raw ceiling — just accept the branding and the MAU billing model.

Avoid ad-supported free tiers entirely. The notification channel is high-trust by nature; injected ads destroy it faster than any other choice.

Next steps

See the pricing page for ReachBell tiers and what the paid plans add, or read the OneSignal vs ReachBell comparison if those two are your shortlist. A free project takes about five minutes to set up — no card required, real production-grade infrastructure underneath.